Why the Analogue Super Nt Might Be Better Than the SNES Classic

There’s no denying the rabid demand for the SNES Classic Edition, Nintendo’s new, monstrously successful cash grab, er, reimagining of its beloved Super Nintendo console. Though the gaming device hit stores less than a month ago, you’d be hard pressed to find one in the wild, or even online. But it turns out a rival revival of the Super Nintendo is on the way—and upon closer inspection, it may be a better all-around product anyway.

Pre-orders are now live for the Analogue Super Nt, which boasts a mightier selling point than the SNES Classic’s: You can use the device to play every old 16-bit Super Nintendo game in crisp, 1080p HD on your state-of-the-art TV, with zero lag.

By comparison, the super-small SNES Classic only comes with 21 of the original console’s more than 2,000 titles, and excludes certified classics like Chrono Trigger, Super Tennis, and Battletoads & Double Dragon. (OK, maybe you don’t care about that last one. I do.)

But invest in a Super Nt—which, like Analogue’s predecessor, the Nt Mini, is fashioned from a chunk of aluminum, iPhone-style—and you can slap any cartridge in the player while tweaking all the visual settings to your heart’s content. The hardware comes in pure black, two gray color schemes that channel the original SNES’s look, and a transparent model that offers a peek into all the gizmos inside.

Here’s the catch: The Super Nt will cost you $190 (plus $40 per wireless controller), which is considerably higher than the SNES Classic’s $80 retail price. (Plus, you’ll have to excavate your old cartridges from your parents’ attic.) However, the Classic is fetching at least double its MSRP on secondary markets right now, suggesting you might be better off waiting to potentially pay just as much for a far superior system. Reserve yours now.